Thread: Contact Lenses

This last week I've been trying contact lenses, I'd never tried them before and the optician was surprised that nobody had suggested them to me until a couple of weeks ago.

I had a 1-week (free) trial period to get used to them, starting at 4 hour for the first day and increasing by one hour each day after that, and a check-up a few days ago after 1 week, to see if my 'balls were coping with having the lenses on them.

Good news is, my eyes don't seem to be having any problems with having contacts in, although they do take me about 10 minutes to put in (and take out) as I'm squeamish!

I'm going to have daily disposable lenses as I want to alternate between them and my specs every day. Or maybe just wear them at weekends or whenever I go out. No need to wear them around the house. (I bought two pairs of specs a few weeks ago and don't want them to go to waste.)

The lenses themselves aren't quite what I imagined, they're like little cups of floppy gel, although I do sometimes get the sensation of having "something" in my eye, and my vision does go blurry for a second or two every now and then. But on the whole, I like them and I think they make me look a few years younger. Always good when you're so vain that Carly Simon can write a song about you.

Does anyone else wear contact lenses, and how long have you had them for? What did you first think when you got them, and now?

I've had contacts since 1979. It doesn't take long to get used to putting them in, but even after all these years, I still need a reflective surface to judge where I'm putting them.

I've had mine for about 10 years now. I only wore glasses for about a year before I got them and I've never really had a problem with them. I usually even sleep with them in.

Originally Posted by AlexG

I've had contacts since 1979. It doesn't take long to get used to putting them in, but even after all these years, I still need a reflective surface to judge where I'm putting them.

lol, that is completely normal. Ive used contacts for like 5 years and I wouldnt be able to put contact lenses on without a mirror even if someone had a gun to my head.

Originally Posted by Daecon

This last week I've been trying contact lenses, I'd never tried them before and the optician was surprised that nobody had suggested them to me until a couple of weeks ago.

I had a 1-week (free) trial period to get used to them, starting at 4 hour for the first day and increasing by one hour each day after that, and a check-up a few days ago after 1 week, to see if my 'balls were coping with having the lenses on them.

Good news is, my eyes don't seem to be having any problems with having contacts in, although they do take me about 10 minutes to put in (and take out) as I'm squeamish!

I'm going to have daily disposable lenses as I want to alternate between them and my specs every day. Or maybe just wear them at weekends or whenever I go out. No need to wear them around the house. (I bought two pairs of specs a few weeks ago and don't want them to go to waste.)

The lenses themselves aren't quite what I imagined, they're like little cups of floppy gel, although I do sometimes get the sensation of having "something" in my eye, and my vision does go blurry for a second or two every now and then. But on the whole, I like them and I think they make me look a few years younger. Always good when you're so vain that Carly Simon can write a song about you.

Does anyone else wear contact lenses, and how long have you had them for? What did you first think when you got them, and now?

I've used them for 30 years now, for rowing and other sport, including swimming. After a bit you get better at taking putting them in. DO NOT SLEEP with them in - it cuts off oxygen to the surface of the eye and can result in inflammation. Very important to remember this if you ever go to bed a bit pissed - scraping stuck contacts off your dried up eyeball is a bit unpleasant. Dailies are recommended for water sports, as the bacteria in river water can include things that go for your eyeball if the lens is not properly disinfected. (If you do water sports and you do use reusable ones ever, use hydrogen peroxide disinfecting solution. It's the the most potent.)

Like you, I find the lens "swims" a bit from time to time, which I find makes reading very tiring. So now I don't wear them all the time, and not on days when I expect to do a lot of book or computer work. But this seems to vary from person to person - some are not bothered by it.

Originally Posted by exchemist

DO NOT SLEEP with them in - it cuts off oxygen to the surface of the eye and can result in inflammation. Very important to remember this if you ever go to bed a bit pissed - scraping stuck contacts off your dried up eyeball is a bit unpleasant.

During my student days my house mate used to do this regularly. You never needed an alarm clock on Saturday morning, hearing him shout as he peeled of the contacts after falling asleep with them in after the pub on Friday night was all you needed to wake you up

Originally Posted by exchemist
DO NOT SLEEP with them in - it cuts off oxygen to the surface of the eye and can result in inflammation. Very important to remember this if you ever go to bed a bit pissed - scraping stuck contacts off your dried up eyeball is a bit unpleasant.

Newer soft lenses are gas permeable and can be slept in.

Originally Posted by AlexG

Originally Posted by exchemist
DO NOT SLEEP with them in - it cuts off oxygen to the surface of the eye and can result in inflammation. Very important to remember this if you ever go to bed a bit pissed - scraping stuck contacts off your dried up eyeball is a bit unpleasant.

Newer soft lenses are gas permeable and can be slept in.

Good point. But doesn't your eye dry up in any case when you're asleep, leading to a stuck lens? I think I'd still argue it was not a good practice to sleep in them.

Originally Posted by exchemist

Originally Posted by AlexG

Originally Posted by exchemist
DO NOT SLEEP with them in - it cuts off oxygen to the surface of the eye and can result in inflammation. Very important to remember this if you ever go to bed a bit pissed - scraping stuck contacts off your dried up eyeball is a bit unpleasant.

Newer soft lenses are gas permeable and can be slept in.

Good point. But doesn't your eye dry up in any case when you're asleep, leading to a stuck lens? I think I'd still argue it was not a good practice to sleep in them.

I have yet to encounter any problems from sleeping with them (going on 10 years now) . The kind I have were actually made to keep in your eyes for long periods of time.

I used contacts for a couple of years when I was racing sled dogs and I had a type that were 'extended wear' so that I actually could sleep in them and then take them out for cleaning every few days.

They were great for winter use but I reside where there is a lot of fine dust in the summer and they drove me nuts so I went back to wearing glasses. I was also a bit edgy about sticking my fingers in my eyes and concerned about the risk of infection, though as you can observe from other responders, some folks have no such problems. I think the daily disposable lenses might be an option if I were going to try them again.

I also like the idea of daily disposable lenses so I don't have to mess around with solutions and storage and stuff, just take a single -7.50 pod and a -8.00 pod with me if I'm going out somewhere for the weekend or whatever and want to wear them for an occasion.

I stopped because like Scheherazade they're a nuisance (and potential injury) when I'm getting debris in my eyes. Glasses rather offer some protection.

I've had contacts since 2000,and I am loving them.They are non-disposable,a pair is good for 1 month theoretically,but I use them for 3 months at least,never had problems and it's cheaper this way(not necessarily recommending it though).I think they give you far more confidence then regular glasses,I mean you look and feel like a normal person.As you said,it is surprising that they are thin gel "cups" and not something more rigid,and I was pleasantly surprised with them too the first time.Got used after a week or so.Good luck with them mate.